By Madeleine Marr
Source Miami Herald
On Sunday, two Central Florida teenagers embarked on a wild ride that didn’t end well.
“What you should do: get a driver’s license, buy your own vehicle and take a Sunday drive,” said a Facebook post from the Marion County Sheriff’s Office. “What not to do: steal a vehicle, drive it without a license and run away from the police. Can you guess what these two did?
The message goes on to say that the agency has received information that a pizza delivery driver’s car, which was stolen in Gainesville, in neighboring Alachua County, may be in the area.
A deputy located the vehicle and attempted to carry out a traffic stop. The driver, a 16-year-old, refused to stop and a chase ensued, which was caught on dash cam.
The young driver is seen briefly leaving the road in a ditch before driving off at high speed. When the teenager attempted to get onto I-75 northbound, the deputy disabled the vehicle by performing a PIT maneuver (Precision Immobilization Technique, which means the pursuing officer used his bumper front to dent the suspect’s rear bumper, causing the car to spin and stop).
During a search of the vehicle, two pizzas were found in the back seat.
The young driver and his 17-year-old passenger were both arrested.
The 16-year-old was charged with grand theft of a motor vehicle, without a valid driver’s license and fleeing from a law enforcement officer. The other child was charged with grand larceny of a motor vehicle.
The teenagers were eventually transported to the Department of Juvenile Justice for safe custody.
Commenters appreciated the deputy’s quick-wittedness and driving skills, but one social media user couldn’t help but crack a joke: “Great job, but I would have accused them of stealing the pizzas.”
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